alan_woolnough

Hi Douglas,

I own the pentax smc 500 4.5, which came with pk mount. On my lens, the mount section has a collar which if unscrewed, allows the mount section to be completely removed, in order for rear mounted filters to be used. I dont know if your screw mount model is the same as mine, but if that rear section is completely removable, a machine shop would have no trouble making a replacement. I had a rear section made with a Mamiya 645 fitting, so i could swap between formats. It cost me about £70 i think. Although these old type lenses are a bit cumbersome, i think they give superb results.

best of luck

Hi Eddie,

Ive only got C lenses, and from info that ive seen, on the Mamiya site, it appears that the differences are cosmetic. However there are differences in opinions on that site, so im none the wiser. Having said that, ive found the C lenses to be excellent, in build and quality. I do have a Pentax 500 4.5, that i had converted to Mamiya fitting, and find it to be slightly sharper & contrasty, but this only reveals itself on very big enlargments.

Hi Tommi,

I own 645c lenses, and have never heard of cn lenses.

If you saw this on an online shopping service, it possibly means that they have both c series lenses, and n series lenses, of the same focal length in stock.

Have a look on the forum at http://www.mamiya.com

best of luck

Hi Ken,

Ive had the 645j for about ten years, and its never let me down. Of course it is a very basic model, compared to the more modern ones. Its a rugged, metal bodied camera {which i prefer}, and has few features of note. Its top shutter speed, of 500th, sync speed of 60th, non interchangable back, may not suit everyone. It does have a multiple exposure setting, which works quite well.

None of its basic specs, have been a drawback me, as ive always used basic manual cameras. If my 645j conked out today, i personally, would replace it with the same model.

In the end, this camera has everything required for most situations, but its worth putting a lot of thought into it, before forking out the £££s.

cheers

Hi Andy

Im still using my trusty old Weston Master V, and surprisingly, its still accurate. However, the time is approaching for me to get a more modern one, with a bright readout, as my eyes are strained, trying to read the thing. Or maybe i will just get some new glasses.

cheers

Hi Martin,

I agree with Dan, but if the day ever arrives, when digital far exceeds the quality of my home produced conventional black & white 645 images, then i certainly hope those scientist chaps develop a digital eyeball, for me to stick in my eye socket, as its hard enough for me to see all the available detail with my present set up.

cheers

Hi Jeff,

I believe that if you have the prism attached, you must ensure that the shutter setting on the camera body is on the bullseye setting. If it is not, then, according to an old manual i own, you may get erratic shutter speeds, when using the shutter speed dial on the prism.

Yes you can hand hold at 1/30 or lower, with your 80mm lens, if you are prepared to risk camera shake.

cheers

John,

Why not do what us English people do in times of crisis.

Put your feet up, and have a cup of tea. While you are doing that, think how lucky we are, having such variable weather conditions to constantly talk about.

I was born and bred in Woolwich, SE London, and although there is an endless amount of stuff to photograph, i often had days where i had run out of ideas. Even though London is constantly changing, i had always dreamed of living somewhere more remote, in order to give myself some fresh challenges, with my camera. About ten years ago, i moved to Scotland, because of the scenery/wildlife, and loved every minute of it, but i still had days when i felt uninspired. Ive recently moved back to England {the Lake District}, and the cycle continues.

I guess those uninspired days, are just part of life for some of us, so have another cup of tea, and set yourself a fresh challenge. It will all come right, in the end.

Cheers

Hello Martin,

I use 35mm & 645, and at my age, im likely to stay with the conventional equipment and film that i use, as it certainly produces a quality that i am extremely happy with.

However, if i was starting out in wildlife photography, maybe in a couple of years, then i think it would be a sensible consideration, with the future in mind.

As things stand, at this moment in time, i think digitals main advantage for wildlife work is the ability to edit in camera. Although film is relatively cheap, over the years, i would have saved a small fortune had i been able to do this. I think this function would be extremely useful, especially in wildlife/bird photography, as the subjects have a mind of their own, and will not take instructions from the photographer.

As an example, from my own experience using 645/15 exposures: If i was lucky to have a fidgity wader, landing in front of my hide, for a few minutes, out of those fifteen exposures, probably five shots would be ruined by subject movement, two or three lost through bad focusing{man.focus lens}, and out of the remaining seven or eight shots, due to composition, i may possibly only be left with three or four shots that i feel are worth keeping, but i still have to process the entire film.

Im unlikely to add to my current equipment these days, but if i did, i guess a auto focus lens would be the priority for me. Even though i would class myself as an extremely experienced manual focuser, unfortunately i cant fight against nature, regarding my eyesight.

Cheers

Hello Ron,

Although i dont do wedding photography, i have done some wildlife silhouette stuff from time to time.

Ive found the most important thing to be: make sure any silhouette areas, in the background, do not overlap the main subject, as this can ruin the shot.

Cheers

Cheers

Hi Joe,

I cant really add any more to what Art has said. I have a couple of spotting scopes, which i use for spotting only. On my scopes, the focusing ring requires a couple of full turns, for the range between close focus and infinity { not ideal for the quick focusing required for wildlife }

If you want to remain with this type of set up { possibly for generally recording, with quality not a high priority } then i would suggest that you only use your scope at its infinity setting, use a high speed film, and shoot in bright conditions.

I agree with Art that a tele lens is much more suitable. As you use a Pentax camera, you will be able to find an old second hand lens extremely cheap, as there are many brands with Pentax mounts. Even a discontinued, third party lens, costing a few pounds, will give you much higher quality than your camera/scope set up.

best of luck

Hello all, and thanks for all the replies, so far.

I agree with you Greg, ive looked with great interest at Douglas Herrs site. He has a lot of absolutely superb images, and must put an enormous amount of effort and planning into his photography.

Dan, ive been using 645 format, for the last three or for years, with a 500mm lens. This gives a wider angle of view, compared to the same lens on 35mm format, as you know. I do tend to concentrate on the larger waders, so am able to get good sized images.

Ive always tried to photograph birds that suit the particular lens that im using, that will give me a reasonable sized image, within a particular area, in front of my hide.But I would find it extremely difficult to get a good sized image of a small, finch sized bird, with the gear that i own.

Thanks again

Hello all,

For years, ive been striving to get frame filling shots of birds, and

for the last ten years or so, ive been doing that fairly

consistantly, using my hide.

About a month ago, i decided to get my old projector out of the

cupboard, for the first time in many years, and spend some time

looking at some of my old Kodachrome/Ektachrome slides, from the

early 1970s, when i first started my interest in bird photography.

All of these old slides were taken using stalking methods, and using

an old 600mm preset tele, and a maximum aperture of f8.

Although on most of these old slides, the birds were not large in the

frame, but quite small, im certainly glad i did not bin them all, as

they are not necessarally worse than my shots over recent years, but

different.

The most pleasing thing that stood out was that most of the birds

were in full focus throughout ie: the ENTIRE bird being covered by

DOF.

Although, from my hide, im usually able to get large images, because

the focus is always on the eye, depending on the position of the

bird, and at wide apertures, it is often impossible to get head to

tail sharpness.

Unfortunately, we cant fight the laws of phyisics, and we have to

make the choice of either, large, impressive shots of birds, or

smaller images, with overall sharpness, and possibly showing the bird

in its habitat.I think both types of shots have their merits, and

since looking at my old slides, ive realised that by concentrating on

hide photography, in an effort to get that larger image consistantly,

without disturbing the birds, ive probably missed out on some

potentially great shots of birds, showing part of their habitat.

Unfortunatly, i cant turn back the clock,and it is very easy to get

stuck in a rut, but i am more than pleased with my collection of

images over the years.

For the last three or four years, ive become more interested in

photographing the birds behavier, and ive decided to make a point of

including extra background, into some of my future shots, to give me

a more varied final image.

Im certainly glad , i did not bin all my old slides, just because the

birds were a bit small in the frame, and i would advise everyone else

to do the same. It certainly gave me a wake up call, before it was to

late.

I would be interested in other views on image size preferences and

overall final image appearance.

Hello Henry,

I think Hans has made a crucial point, in his reply.

I only use manual focus, for my bird photography, and always tripod mounted. Ive never found camera shake to be the main problem with telephoto work, from close range. The main problem, especially with birds, is subject movement. Although the new lens you are refering to, may allow you to shoot at a slower shutter speed, this may not be a big enough advantage to justify the expense, if you are shooting for yourself. Even if you were able to use the possible extra couple of stops to increase DOF, at close distances, with long teles, the result would be marginal.

I, personally, would go for the 600 F4, as it is a proven lens, for bird photography, and i tend to concentrate on hide photography. However, if you are into stalking, either hand held, or with monopod, then IS lenses could be a big advantage. Which ever lens you decide on, is less important than your technique, IMO.

Best of luck

Hi Ronan,

I think, if you practice with something enough, you should get quite good at it. I used a monopod for years, stalking birds with a fairly long lens, and find that using shorter lenses, on a monopod, to be a good option, if a tripod is not suitable for the situation.

I made the mistake of thinking that a monopod would allow me to shoot at slower speeds than hand holding, when i first started out, but if i exposed at speeds that are suitable for hand holding, whilst using a monopod, i found it reduced the chance of camera shake substantialy.

I know a lot of people use a monopod, in order to use slower shutter speeds than hand holding, and i have done this myself sometimes, but i think of my monopod as an aid for hand holding, as opposed to a substitute for a tripod.

Best of luck

Just a stab in the dark, Stephen.

Although i dont use Patterson chemicals, my new Nova chemicals always have a foil seal, on the bottle tops. I have noticed, when the bottles have been opened and used, that the dried chemicals around the bottle rims can drop into my mixing graduates.

If your new chemicals arrived with no foil seal, then this could be a possible cause. It would also, possibly , be a reason for your under developed negs, as the bottles, although new, may not have been airtight.

Hope you solve it.

Hi Douglas,

If you do a lot of hide/blind work, then my answer would be a big yes.

I had my pentax 500mm converted to Mamiya 645 a few years ago, and have never regretted it. Over the last twenty years or so, ive never needed to use a teleconverter, although i nearly always use ext.tubes.

I found through bitter experience, that changing lenses in a hide, could disturb a bird standing nearby. Having had my lens converted for use on 645, i could swap formats, instead of lenses.

This has worked for me, in the habitat i usually photograph in [ marshland/tidal rivers]. Also, i tend to photograph only birds that suit the angle of view of my main lens ie: medium/large sized waders such as godwits, curlews etc, up to heron size.

I guess the last four years or so, i rarely use my lens on a 35mm body and prefer to crop the 645 image. This still gives me at least 35mm quality, as im using the same lens.

Having said all that, ive only done 645 stuff in black & white, as im more interested in photographing the birds behavier these days, and have many colour slides of the birds i tend to photograph, showing their plumage colours.

If i was still shooting slides, i may well have stuck with 35mm, as i think the main benifit of 645 for me has been the ability to crop, if required, and retain 35mm quality at least.

Cheers

Hi Kyle,

Yes, thats the way ive done it, for many years, without any problems.

Just trim the leader square across the film, and snip the two corners at an angle [not essential].

I usually pull a few inches of film out, at a time, during the loading process.

Cheers

Hi Anthony,

I know your question relates to a 600mm lens. However, if a 500mm lens is also a possible option, it might be worth reading my reply to a question on this forum, under the title of "canon fd tele lenses on pentax 67"

This lens is the smaller brother to the 600mm pentax. It takes a 52mm rear mounted filter, if req. It is possible to have front mounted filters made, but they would be expensive, as the front element is 126mm. Ive just realised that i wrote about this lens somewhere else, so you could just click on my name.

Although the image is a bit soft at 4.5, it is very sharp by f8.

I dont know if this lens will be of any interest to you, but i thought i would let you know anyway.

Cheers

Hello Timothy,

Yes, i Know what you mean. It usually happens to me, when ive typed an extra long question/reply, and its really annoying.

However, i think i have solved it. When it happens, i return to the page, where i signed in, and resubmit my password, and then go forward again, to my typed question/answer, and resubmit it.

Seems to work for me.

Cheers

Hi Thomas,

I do not own The AE prism, but i use a PD prism for my mamiya 645.

If your prism connects to the body, in the same way as mine, which i think it does, then you have to make sure that the little lever, at the front of the prism is seated in the bracket on the lens diaphram ring. If this is not done, the readings, in the viewfinder, will not change, when you alter your diaphram settings. If this is not the problem, then im not sure what it could be. Maybe someone else will have an idea.

Cheers

Hello Thomas,

Ive got a couple of long shots, for you.

I lived in Scotland for about ten years, and never had any problems with my home developed film. However, since moving back to England a year ago, ive had no end of problems. My last film had small teardrop marks, with small trails, on a couple of frames. This has become increasingly worrying. Like you, these marks are not drying marks, but are actually in the emulsion. I also use 120 Black & white film, developed in patterson tanks.

I have also, sometimes got these marks on my prints, which makes me think it may be related to the quality of the water, here in England, compared to the Scottish water. If this is the cause, and the chemicals are mixed with impure/cloudy water, then it would possibly leave a residue in the emulsion. Ive recently bought a water filter, in the hope that it will solve it.

Also, i always used to presoak my films, and never had any problems. However, i stopped doing this, as Ilford said it is not neccessary, and the problems started. As from now, i am going to resume presoaking, and see what happens. I did wonder if these small tear shaped drops, were a result of tipping the developer into the tank to quickly, and causing splash marks on the film, before the developer had time to cover the film. This seems unlikely, but possible, if the water used to mix up the chemicals, is cloudy.

Sorry i cant be of much help. Hopefully you will get some other suggestions.

Cheers

Hi Dave,

Ive had a Pentax 500mm f4.5 for many years. A few years ago i got a Mamiya 645 camera, and had the pentax lens adapted to fit. This lens is a manual focus, and manual diaphram, but is extremely easy to adapt.

It focuses on infinity, with no vignetting, and although it is a last generation lens, it is excellent quality. With the simple custom made adapter, i can swap formats, as quick as swapping lenses.

These lenses are still available, according to the Pentax web site, at a cost of £2,400, but can be found second hand for £500-£900

As i use this on 645 format, i assume it will work on 6x6, and with luck, it might just stretch to 6x7. Its probably worth checking out, before forking out ££££s on a proper 6x7 tele.

Cheers

Hi Saundra,

I tried to reply by Email direct, but i may have pushed a wrong button or two, so you may not have recieved it.

In reply, as it appears it was not any of the above, the only thing i can think of is, if you use a prism finder, its possible the small connecting lever, is not seated on the lens properly. Although you should still get some sort of exposure. Hopefully you will get some other suggestions, and i will put my thinking cap on.

Cheers

Hi Saundra,

Do you remember if the film was on the top of the roll film holder, when you removed the film. If it was, then the film leader had slipped off the take up spool. Other than that, it could be the camera was set on the multiple exposure setting, if your model has that knob.

Cheers